


Under the Stars

by InkFire_Scribe



Series: Lovebirds of Rivendell [5]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Married Life, Parenthood, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 17:46:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9452891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkFire_Scribe/pseuds/InkFire_Scribe
Summary: Elrond wakes in the middle of the night and finds his wife has wandered off. Bad habit, that.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [die_wiederkehr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/die_wiederkehr/gifts).



When he wakened, the room was so silent he wondered at first what could have disturbed his rest. Elrond slid a hand through the blankets to his left, and found them warm, but empty. Ah. The silence was too complete, not broken or soften by the breathing of his beloved. Sitting up, the lord of Imladris rubbed the sleep from his eyes and scanned the room. It was empty, save for himself, but the balcony doors were open. 

Silently, he got out of bed and pulled on a loose, soft tunic. Outside, the muted chatter of water was accompanied by the silken rustle of fabric, stirred by the wind. Following this quiet harmony, he found his Silver Lady leaning against the railing. Her pale face, gilded in the moonlight under her bright, silver-white hair, seemed so solemn that he felt his heart twist. 

"Celebrían?" he asked softly, and touched her arm to let her know where he was. He was pleased when she didn't flinch or even tense. Instead, she covered his hand with her own, still looking up at the sky. The blanket of stars reflected in her eyes, their blue washed to the palest of summer hues by the beauty of the skies above. 

When she didn't respond, he settled at her side and savored the silence between them. Six years. It had been six years since their first union under these same stars. Six summers. Six winters. The time was but a blink in his long life, and yet they were the happiest he could remember. Elrond sighed softly and laced his fingers through her thick silver hair. 

At length, she finally broke the silence between them, and when she did, it was with a soft sigh. Elrond was alert to any indication that the folk around him were at all uncomfortable, and he noticed when her hand went to her stomach. The idea what his Celebrían was at all uncomfortable, perhaps unwell, caused a sort of fear in him that he hadn't dealt with before. Sharp, twisting, and deep. Not so much so that he couldn't be rational about it, but he knew it meant that if his mate were ever seriously ill, he would need to cede her treatment to another Healer. That scared him. 

"What is it, my love?" he asked softly, his grey eyes fixed on her face. Celebrían gave him a faint smile and shook her head, her cascade of silver hair throwing off splinters of starlight as she moved.

"It's nothing that time won't mend, dearest. Just an upset stomach." 

"Shall I get you some mint tea?" he asked, persistent in his desire to see her whole and healthy and happy again. Her laugh was gentle, and she turned her beautiful head toward him, resting her forehead against the hollow of his throat for a long moment. 

"If it will make you feel better, my lord, then please do. I won't be able to sleep for a while yet." 

Elrond was… not disturbed by her words, but unsettled. Yes, that was a better word for it. She seemed to know something he didn't, and he wasn't sure what it was. He realized suddenly that secrets had never been kind to him. Not when his brother had been alive, and not now. He pulled back just enough that he could focus on her face. 

"What do you know, silver one?" he asked softly. "You know something and… it gives you peace. What is it?" 

Her smile was like a sliver of moon under the stars, and startled flash of white teeth in a gilded face. "You have ever been too observant," she murmured. "I don't  _ know _ , but I suspect. I believe you would, too… or perhaps you would know. You are better versed in such things than I." 

"Better versed in what things?" Elrond's patience, usually so dependable, seemed to fray at the edges a little. Not because he found her reluctance to approach the topic irritating, so much as his worry continued to gnaw at the edges of everything so long as he didn't know what lay at its heart. 

Rather than answer directly, Celebrían took his hand and laid it directly on her stomach, a little below her navel. It was a sensitive area, and Elrond felt heat in his cheeks as she initiated the touch. It was late, and there would be no one below to see… but if there were anyone in the gardens, they would be able to observe. Celebrían didn't seem to take any notice of that. Instead, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as though turning her focus inward. It was something he had seen her do many times throughout their years, particularly when her mother was present. 

He did the same, letting his focus drift away from the surface things, away from the social pressures, away from the worry for his wife's comfort. He turned his attention inward and downward, seeking the source of his Healing power. It was a safe thing, a safe place. No harm could come from this place. Elrond settled in his power, and then directed his focus outward again, without opening his eyes. Each living thing had a faint glow. 

Living green towers of trees, tiny blue specks of the night-time insect life of the valley, the sleeping red and gold figures of elves about his House. And before him, golden as the sun, brilliant in her nearness and awareness, Celebrían. There was something else, as well. Something small under his hand… two red sparks, dancing in the golden swirl of Celebrían's life force. 

Elrond's eyes opened, wide now in the dark. He could feel the heat in his cheeks still - it had only been a moment. 

"Celebrían," he breathed, a feeling of wonder coming over him. More than wonder, it was astonishment. "You're-"

"Yes, I thought so," she agreed, smiling again as she opened her eyes to meet his. "So, if you think mint tea will help, please do get it. I would like to sleep again before first light." 

It struck Elrond that his wife looked very… satisfied. Like a cat in a warm sunbeam. And well she should. Elf mothers were held in high regard.

"Twins," he whispered, and gently removing his hand from her warm, flat stomach. 

Celebrían's eyes widened in surprise and before she could say anything, Elrond turned to go. She hadn't known for certain, and she hadn't guessed there was more than one. Elrond tried not to smirk as he murmured that he would fetch her tea. 


End file.
